


through the snow.

by holdingnotoyou



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: DEMA (Twenty One Pilots), First Kiss, Holding Hands, Holidays, M/M, Mention of Death, Snow, TOPFL Christmas Challenge, Trench Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 12:30:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17162024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/holdingnotoyou/pseuds/holdingnotoyou
Summary: "It's snowing.""It always snows on Wednesday this time of the year. You know that.""Yeah, it'ssticking."





	through the snow.

**Author's Note:**

> a quick thing for christmas.

It snows in DEMA every year. It never sticks. 

Tyler can remember every year prior to this one, watching the snow flurries fall and dissipate the moment they hit the ground, melting into the concrete as if they had never once been there. It had always been the same, year after year, it fell beginning on the Wednesday before Christmas and snowed for a full week, never once staying for anyone to enjoy it. 

It's become routine for him to watch the snow, to look at the way it flutters and disappears when he tries to reach out for it. He asks people if they see it because it seems like he's the only one interested in it, interested in watching the way the individual flakes flutter and dance in the air. It's a bit of normalcy that they don't get here, like a real life that they were supposed to be living beyond the confines of DEMA. People see it, of course they do, he's not _that_ crazy, but no one else is impressed by it. Their stares are almost as cold as the winter air that nips at his nose when he speaks. They're almost as robotic as the rest of this place is, faltering into the well-oiled machine beneath the Bishops gaze, and Tyler wonders when he's going to become like them, when he's no longer going to feel enjoyment of any kind and instead be just as monotone and worthless as these people are. 

He finds himself lucky that he's not another cog in the machine. There's only a few more escape attempts he has left before the Bishops force him into that position, or better, kill him. 

It's different this year, though; Tyler wakes up on the Wednesday before Christmas and the snow is falling. He starts through his routine of getting ready for work, getting outside, and he's halfway there before it strikes him that his boots are wet and it's a little hard to walk because there's snow on the ground, the soft crunch beneath his heels as he attempts to navigate himself up a road he knows like the back of his hand. The realization hits him like a ton of bricks, whole body seizing as his head twists up to the white sky, eyes squinting as he looks at the clouds and the moderate snowfall. 

It's never been this thick, this heavy against his skin and his clothes, never holding onto him like he tries to it. There's a few moments of admiration, Tyler's eyes focused on the bright sky above him as he watches the descent of the flakes down onto the asphalt. He glances around after a moment, blinking himself back into reality, back into his body, before there's a decision being made by his subconscious. He doesn't know exactly what his own intentions are, his mind has been hijacked by the adrenaline that replaces his dreary thoughts of reality. 

It's a trick to run through the snow, slide across the ice without fumbling or tripping over his own two feet before he's carried to the set of apartments that look just like his own--just on the other side of town. He has to hope that Josh hasn't left yet for the day, hasn't fallen into his cyclical life before Tyler can get to him. He gets lucky, too, as he practically trips over his own two feet running into the courtyard and meeting Josh face-to-face as he steps out of the building. He skids to a stop and reaches out to press his palms against Josh's biceps as he forces himself to still. 

"Tyler," Josh breathes with a small smile, an expression of surprise passing through his eyes. They don't normally see each other until after work; Tyler does data for the DEMA government while Josh works at a small retail shop that pays him well but doesn't cut itself much of a profit. The Bishops just needed places for people to feel fulfilled--Tyler always scoffs at that phrasing--so they don't feel the need to be like Tyler and escape. "What are you doing here?"

Tyler's face lights up the moment he's sees Josh, stays that way as his eyes are on Josh's and he tosses his arms out and gestures toward the sky. "It's snowing." 

Josh laughs a little bit, bundling his jacket tighter around his chest and tucking his hands beneath his armpits; his only pair of gloves without holes in them are on Tyler's hands right now because Tyler himself doesn't even own a pair. Josh insisted that Tyler take them, insisted that he could buy a new pair when it got too cold and unbearable to _not_ own a pair. "It always snows on Wednesday this time of the year. You know that." 

"Yeah," Tyler says, too excited to roll his eyes at Josh or make any kind of snide comment in regard to his best friend treating him like an idiot. "It's _sticking_." 

Josh purses his lips for a moment as he looks at Tyler with an eye of confusion, eyes moving away from his best friend just long enough to glance over his shoulder, looking at the small layer of snow that has built up over the past few hours, disrupted only by the footprints of Tyler coming to meet Josh and Josh's neighbors leaving for the day. "Oh." He says and Tyler feels almost disappointed; a pang of anxiety floods through his body when he briefly thinks that maybe, maybe Josh has succumbed like the rest of those in DEMA. 

Leader of the Banditøs, brainwashed into the masses of DEMA. Tyler's worst nightmare for Josh.

He really doesn't care if he's the one that falls at the hands of the Bishops, but Josh--he couldn't let that happen to Josh. Josh, who is so full of light and wonder and energy, who spends his days folding clothes and selling white coffee mugs to people who already have them, who spends his waking moments in the evenings in quiet, dark corners scheming ways to get those who want to fight out. Tyler could never let Josh fall; he's too prominent, a figure made to live outside of the confines of these wall. He has to escape one day, with or without Tyler. 

The panic subsides a bit when Josh's eyes meet his own again, his voice softer and more sincere as he repeats himself, " _Oh_."

The grin that breaks across Tyler's face is mimicked by Josh soon after and Tyler wraps himself in his best friend, arms tossed around Josh's shoulders as he buries his face into Josh's neck. He's pressed so tightly against Josh that it's a bit of a struggle for Josh to free his arms from being crossed over his chest, too polite to ask Tyler to move for a single moment. It's easier to settle against Josh's chest as Josh's arms wrap around him, settle on his lower back and Tyler can't help but nuzzle his face against Josh's warm skin. 

They've always been this close, for as long as Tyler can remember over the past few years that he's known Josh. The two of them have always clicked so easily, have always fallen into each other with no resistance, so it really comes as no surprise that when Tyler pulls away from Josh's neck, glances toward his best friend, that he's met with Josh's lips against his own. The kiss is soft and serene, snow sticking to their hair and their eyelashes like petals being tossed by the fist full over the edge of cliff sides. There's no hesitation on Tyler's part, falls into Josh like he always does and he kisses back like Josh is the only person trapped within these walls with him, like he's the only person on the face of the planet period. 

His breath comes out in a fog when Josh pulls away, a slow, steady, conscious breath that falls from his lips as he lets his eyes open again to meet Josh's. Josh's jaw moves as if he's going to speak and Tyler shakes his head, silences him with another chaste press of the lips before he rests his forehead against Josh's. "We should go inside. I'm freezing." He murmurs, and Josh laughs a bit, staring up at him through his eyelashes and Tyler wonders how long he's actually be in love with Josh and why it's hitting him all at once now. 

"We both have to go to work." Josh reminds him, and Tyler scrunches up his face in displeasure. 

"What are they going to do if we don't show up? Fire us?"

Josh makes a noise of contention, "Probably torture us." He murmurs, "Or worse, kill us."

Tyler holds his tongue from saying that's probably the better of the two options, lifting his chin just enough to press a kiss against the tip of Josh's nose, red from the cool breeze that cuts right down to their bones. "Okay." He says instead, knowing there's no use in fighting with Josh right now. He'll always have the upper hand because Tyler will always let him have it. "I'm coming back after work, though. And then--"

"We're catching up on missed time." Josh finishes for him, flashing Tyler a smile as Tyler's cheeks flush pink and he nods. "Walk me to work?" Tyler nods again, pulling away from Josh just enough to smooth the front of his coat before he gestures. "Shall we?" 

"We shall." Josh grins a bit, fixing his beanie as he falls into line beside Tyler. The walk isn't far--the shop is three blocks over, tucked between a coffee shop and the grocery store, both places that seemed to be empty more times than not. They make it to the first street before Josh is nonchalantly sliding his fingers into Tyler's, squeezing his hand tightly as they make their way into the outskirts of the small area that they call _town_. 

Tyler pauses outside of the door to the shop as they arrive, sad to be losing time away from Josh in the snow of all things. They do have to be adults about this, he figures, if they ever plan on escaping DEMA alive and relatively unscathed. "I guess this is goodbye." He hums sadly, sinks his teeth into his lower lip as he stares at Josh. 

Josh only returns the sentiment with a small smile, "For a few hours. I get off at four thirty. Come around when you're done with work, okay?" He asks, squeezing Tyler's hand lightly before letting it go. They don't have much to worry about, aside from the prying eyes that seem to follow Tyler around everywhere that he goes. There seems to be a silent understanding between the universe, the Bishops and Tyler that Josh is off-limits just as long as Tyler falls in line beneath the watchful eye of the Bishops, something he's never been entirely thankful for until now. Even if he is the leader of the Banditøs, even if the Bishops are desperate to sink their teeth into Josh, it's always Tyler it circles back to. So long as he controls himself, Josh stays untouched.

"I'll be there at five." He promises quietly and Josh's soft smile turns into a grin, hands moving to grasp Tyler's jaw for just a moment as he leans in to press a fleeting kiss against his best friend's lips.

"Good. See you then. It won't stop snowing until next week." 

"I know," Tyler hums, "Doesn't mean it won't keep sticking until next week." 

Josh shrugs, "We only need it for tonight." With that, Josh gives Tyler another gentle smile before he disappears inside of the small shop, the chime of the bell and the sound of voices as Josh greets his coworkers being silenced as the door flutters to a close.

Tyler sets off on his own journey back across town, hands warm from where Josh has touched him before and heart warm at the thought of seeing Josh again later. It's been the best day he's had in this cess pit of his own creation and it can only get better from here, he knows, that being wrapped up in Josh later will make everything that much better.

(When he wakes up in a tangle of limbs with Josh the next morning, head tucked against Josh's chest, the snow is still falling and still sticking to the ground. Christmas in DEMA is different this year and Tyler couldn't be more grateful.)

**Author's Note:**

> find me on my [tumblr](http://clancies.tumblr.com).


End file.
